Improvement in magazine fire-arms



W TRABUE Magazine Fire-Arm.

' Patented Sept. 3, 1878.

WASHINGTON D c wo' rzeases N. PETERs. PHOTO-LITHOGRA UNITED STATESPATENT Orruon.

WILLIAM TFABUE, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAGAZINE FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 207,782, datedSeptember 3, 1878; application filed June 29, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM TRABUE, of Louisville, in the county ofJefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Fire-Arms and I do hereby declare that the following isa full and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of guns I known in the art asmagazine bolt-guns and it has for its object the simplification of thosedevices which operate to bring the suc cessive cartridges from themagazine into position to be exploded.

Prior to my invention the means usually employed for bringing thecartridges into the position above named have been so arranged andoperated that the successive cartridges are thrown up into alignmentwith the bore of the breech by a spring-movement at the time that thebolt reaches the limit of its retrograde movement.

My improvements in this particular consist in the peculiar constructionand arrangement hereinafter described, by means of which the successivecartridges are brought forward at the time of the forward movement ofthe bolt, the retrograde movement simply inducing to the adjustment ofthe rim end or base of the cartridge, so that the next forward movementI of the bolt will positively push the said cartridge accurately intothe breech of the barrel. My invention also consists in the peculiarconstruction and arrangement, with the front end of the bolt andfiring-pin and the mainspring, of a reciprocating head andlongitudinally-stationary extracting-hook, by means of which theexploded shells are successively withdrawn and flipped from the gun.

My invention also consists in forming the I longitudinally-reciprocatinghead above described with a vertical beveled projection for holding thecartridges passive in the receiver and arresting the advance ofsucceeding can.

trid ges from the magazine,-while it also serves to push forward at theproper time the cartridges into the breech of the gun, as will behereinafter more fully set forth.

To enable those skilled to understand the construction and operation ofmy improved gun, I will proceed to describe the same, referring byletters to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to simplyillustrate the features of my invention, and which show, In--- Figure 1,a central longitudinal vertical section of so much of a gun as isnecessary to illustrate my invention; Fig. 2, a similar View,

of the shoe and the front ends only of the bolt and magazine-tube; Fig.3, a perspective view of the shoe and Fig. at, a detail side elevationof the bolt with its head and extracting-hook holding a cartridge inposition to be withdrawn.

Similar letters indicate like parts in the several figures.

A is the gun-stock, and B the barrel, arranged in the ordinary manner,with the intermediate connection. 0 is what I denominate the shoe, thebottom of which is about parallel with the axis of the bolt, its forwardend being inclined or beveled, as clearly shown at Figs. and 2, andformed at its rear, on the sides, with corresponding incline guides orways a, which terminate at the point where the rear end of the bottomrises up toward the passage leading to the magazine-tube D, to form acheck or stop for the cartridges as they are successively permitted toenter the shoe and lie upon its bottom, as shown at Fig. 1.

The depth of the shoe is such that a cartridge is permitted to lie uponthe bottom of the same while the bolt is reciprocated; and, in additionto other advantages, it will be observed that an additional cartridge tothe full complement contained-in the magazine may be carried in the gun.

It will be observed that the shoe 0 is formed independent of anddetachable from the other parts of the gun, and hence it may be handled,in the process of constructing the same, with great facility andaccuracy, and smoothness of its. inclines or ,bevels can be more readilyobtained than would be the case were the shoe formed with any other partor parts of the gun.

E is the bolt, and F the hammer, arranged with reference to the firing-pin and mainspring in the usual way. G is a head, arranged upon andwithin the forward end of the bolt E by a screw, 1), and slot 0, topermit slight longitudinal movement. This head G is centrallyperforatedto permit the firing-pin to pass through it to explode the shell. Thefront end of the firing-pin is formed in rear of the head G with aflange, so that the pressure of the mainspring will tend to keep thehead G pressed forward and permit a yielding to rearward, as will bepresently explained. The top front edge of the head G is recessedhorizontally, as seen at d, Figs. 1, 2, and 4, to facilitate theflipping of the shells, as will be hereinafter explained, and it has avertical beveled projection, G, as clearly shown at Figs. 1 and 2. H isthe extractor-hook, secured to the bolt E, with a suitably-arrangedspring for forcing its hook end over the rim of the shell to beextracted, so that it shall grasp it just above the bottom of the recess(1, which acts as a fulcrum when the head G is forced by the mainspringagainst the base of the cartridge. I is a spring-catch for retaining theshells within the magazine, and is operated to release them by a slide,6, the spring-catch I having an incline or bevel, which strikes acorresponding one in the stock as the slide 6 is moved, causing the hookend to move away from the cartridges, as clearly indicated in thedrawing.

Having described the construction of the several parts, I will nowdescribe their operation.

The magazine-tube being loaded by forcing the shells into it from therear of the shoe C, (the bolt being forced back for that purpose,) theyare held within the magazine by tlze spring-catch I. Now, if the bolt isclosed, the release of the spring-catch I will permit the forward shellto be projected or sprung into position on the bottom of the shoe 0 andunder the bottom of the bolt E, the next succeeding shell pressingagainst the base of the first shell. Now, as the bolt is moved rearwardthe beveled vertical projection G on the head G travels over the top ofshell N o. l and holds it down, and it, in turn, holds back the shellsin the magazine, as seen at Fig. 1. As soon as the bolt reaches theposition seen at Fig. 2, it releases shell No. 1, and shell No.2 jumpsforward until stopped by the projection G. This movement of shell N o. 2has kicked shell No. 1 forward sufficiently to lift it slightly upon theinclines of the shoe, so that in the next forward movement of the bolt Ecartridge No. 1 is forced by the projection G to ride up the inclinesand into alignment with the bore of the barrel, into which it is forcedby the bolt in completing its forward movement. While this movement istaking place shell No. 2, being no longer retarded by the projection G,has followed along under the bolt and succeeded to the former positionof shell No. 1 on the bottom of the shoe 0.

As the bolt reaches its extreme forward position the head G is forcedback against the mainsprin g, and the extractor hook has grasped the rimof the shell in the bore of the gun, so that the pressure of themainspring is acting upon the base of the shell. Now, as the bolt isdrawn back, as before described, N o. 2 cartridge is held, released, andslightly advanced, as previously explained with reference to shell No.1, and No.1 is retracted; and as the front end of the same escapes fromthe bore of the gun, the pressure of the mainspring against its basewhile its top edge is held by the hook causes the shell to turn upon theshoulder of recess d in head G and be flipped out. If the slide 6 ismoved to release the shells in the magazine while the bolt is in itsrear or open position, the first shell will be stopped by the beveledprojection G, as shown at Fig. 2.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the cartridges are not throwninto alignment and in front of the bolt by the ordinary and uncertainaction of a spring during the retrogade movement of the bolt, but that,on the contrary, each successive shell is brought into position underthe bolt during its forward movement and lies passive during theretrograde movement of the bolt. The cartridges do not travel on acontinuous incline from the magazine to the bore, nor is their movementcontinuous; but, on the contrary, they are delivered by an inclinemagazine to a practically horizontal receiver, where they remain passiveas the bolt recedes, simply jumping slightly as it reaches its limit ofmovement, so as to be in position to be positively forced into positionwithin the barrel by the bolt.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The shoe 0, arranged below the bolt, and formed with front and rearinclines and rear check or shoulder, in combination with the bolt E,provided with the downward projection G, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

2. The bolt E, provided with the head G, having longitudinal movement,and formed with a vertical beveled projection, as described,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In combination with the bolt, extractorhook, and mainspring, theindependent head G, formed with a recess, d, substantially as and forthe purposes set forth.

4. The shoe 0, bolt F, head G, and magazine D, combined and arranged inthe manner and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 15th dayof June, A. D. 1878.

WILLIAM TRAB UE.

In presence of- WM. (1. Mcliv'rmn, D. P. GONE.

